Dr. Anderson told me back in 2005 that one of her goals was to make sure that I didn’t think about my voice every day. But I do think about it every day, because I am grateful for it. In a week, I return to Harvard for the “50th anniversary of women at Harvard Business School” celebrations. (Yep, women were first admitted to HBS in 1963, doubling the available horsepower in the C-suite ever since). There will be thousands of alumni there, talking, reconnecting, and making new connections. There will also be a vigorous case study debate in which I’ll be expected to participate. A case study is a business situation which students are expected to debate orally in class – the professor teases out the key learnings from the discussion. At HBS, 50% of your grade is on class participation, in a big, horseshoe shaped room which seats 100 people or more. And they don’t let up on alums either – although now there are no grades, just bragging rights in the bar afterwards.

It’ll be fantastic to participate in that discussion, and to chat for hours with old friends and new contacts. I’m glad I’ve got the voice to do it.